


It's time that I'm strong for you

by SimpleSoul_Shipper



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Healthy Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired By Tumblr, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Deserves Better, Marinette is the Guardian, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Partnership, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Strong Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Supportive Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, mentioned chat blanc, nice chloe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimpleSoul_Shipper/pseuds/SimpleSoul_Shipper
Summary: Marinette is close to breaking.School, her friends lack of trust, her parents worry, and her new status as the guardian.The added pressure of all her responsibilities is weighing on her.But Chat Noir refuses to let her go.But how can she let him in, when she worries most about her partner.Maybe all she needs, is to let her partner be strong enough for the both of them.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 1
Kudos: 65





	It's time that I'm strong for you

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is a Christmas present to my two closest friends, both of whom love this show.  
> I left the ending ambiguous, but all you need to know is that it is post Marinette becomes the guardian, but Chloe is nice, because the only one who is irredeemable in this fandom is Lila and Gabriel.  
> This work is inspired by Tumblr/Pinterest. You'll find the dialogue references the post closely, though I played around with it.

Ladybug swung up onto the rooftop, where she waited for her partner to finish his rounds.

For the past 2 months, she and Chat had taken to doing nightly patrols around Paris when they could, with the idea that once a week they would meet up after patrol on top of the Museum. It was enough of a landmark that they would be able to remember it, but it also had the benefit of a roof that would keep their cover.

Ladybug sighed; it had been a long two months. After dealing with everything at school, her friends lack of faith in her and her teachers complete lack of the ability to do anything, she was being slowly drained of her will to do anything.

Her parents had commented that she seemed more tired, Jagged had commented that she didn’t design as much as she used too, even Chloe had noticed her less than sunshine mood and had distracted Lila for the day so she wouldn’t have to deal with her.

That one wasn’t so much a problem as it was one of the few good things that had happened.

During her last meeting with Master fu, she had grabbed both the Bee and the Dragon miraculous, her decision meant that Hawkmoth was defeated with a lot more firepower on her end.

It also had the unexpected bonus of making Chloe really happy in school, she’d finally taken Ladybug’s lesson to heart and was trying to better herself. With the additional delight that Chole had decided the best way to make up for her past actions was to protect Marinette from the idiocy of her classmates.

Which brought her back to Lila.

Ladybug didn’t know what to do, on top of becoming the guardian of the miraculous box, which included the fact that the minute she gave it away she would lose her memories, a fact that became more horrifying with every passing day. She also had to deal with Lila, who was succeeding in taking her classmates away from her.

Right now, the only people she had in her corner were Chloe and Adrien. While Kagami and Luka were willing to help, they weren’t in the same class and their influence outside didn’t have much impact on the liar.

And her parents were so busy, she didn’t feel that she could tell them what was going on, when she couldn’t even tell Adrien the full story.

A part of her knew that this came from the actions of Kim and Alya. She and Kim had known each other since they were small, their mothers knew each other and they had been friends for the same amount of time, even if she didn’t participate in his dares.

Alya though, they’d been friends since the beginning of the year, and even through what had happened with Chloe, Alya was turning her back on her. She believed Lila’s lies and accused Marinette of being jealous, disregarding that Marinette was friends with Kagami, who Alya had suggested they sabotage, and that she had forgotten that Marinette knew Jagged Stone personally, and knew he didn’t have a cat.

Everything…

Everything was just getting to be too much.

Her responsibilities as a guardian. Her responsibilities as a hero. Everything she needed to do as class president. Everything she did for her friends, for her family, even her babysitting. Not to mention schoolwork.

It was all becoming too much.

She didn’t… She didn’t know how much longer she could take it. How much longer she could hold out before she… **_broke_**.

The wind whistled behind her, and from the distance she could hear a faint laughter.

Looks like she’d been too distracted by her thoughts. Chat was already here.

“Good evening my lady~ how goes your patrol?”

That was the highlight of her week, the silly grin that Chat would give her when they met after their patrol.

Even though she dealt with a load of crap each week, even though she felt her life and friends slipping away, even though Chat was pulling away himself; every week she still got one of his silly smiles.

Ladybug smiled, “My patrol went well enough, no signs of any butterfly’s at least”

Chat huffed out a breath, he was definitely in agreement there, at least there aren’t any butterflies.

Their chatter and jokes continued for a moment before they both shivered from the night air. They were usually chasing akuma’s or jumping off buildings at this time of night, so there’s not much keeping them from being cold at this point.

Chat pulls Ladybug closer, hoping that they could keep each other warm.

Ladybug leans into his arms; Chat was always so warm. She just wanted to stay there for a while. Just that one hold made all of her stress fly away.

Chat Noir didn’t move though, usually he’d be making some kind of pun or saying something.

Ladybug looked up at him to see… concern in his eyes.

His eyes were wide with concern and, determination?

Chat leaned closer and spoke softly in her ear, “How do you do it M’lady?”. His voice was soft, like these words weren’t even allowed to carry in the wind, they were only for the two of them.

Ladybug looks up in surprise, she didn’t understand what he meant, she hadn’t been doing anything.

She answered him, “How do I do what Chat? I haven’t done anything”

Chat looks at her, it’s a little strange since for a long time no one’s really looked at her, but Chat Noir always has a look that makes her think he sees right through her, right through Ladybug and into Marinette.

Chat looks out at Paris then looks back at her.

His voice is still low, “How do you pretend that you’re okay?”

Ladybug shakes slightly in his arms.

What? How could he… How could he know?

A thought comes to her, of course he would know. Chat Noir always knows when it comes to her, like she always knows with him.

“I’m not pretending Chat”

She isn’t. At this moment everything really is okay.

When she’s with her partner, she always feels perfect.

Chat slowly lifts her chin up, holding it in place so she has to meet his eyes. His eyes that are full of concern, for her. Eyes that see everything about her. Eyes that refuse to let this go.

Char wraps his free arm tighter around her, holding her steady. She didn’t notice she’d been swaying on her feet.

“Yes, you are, every single day”

How could he know this?

How could he see all of that?

“You’re pretending every day M’lady… and it breaks my heart”

His words are so soft, but she can hear them breaking, she can hear him breaking.

Tears well up in Ladybug’s eyes. Marinette had so many problems, so much of her life was breaking her.

School. Her teacher’s favouritism. Lila. Alya pulling away. Losing her classmates.

She shakes a little more, when she thinks of Ladybug’s problems as well. Things that broke her other self as well.

The constant secrecy that meant everyone was held at arm’s length. The pressure of being the new guardian. Every akuma that came with every new day. Never truly being able to rest before some other duty calls.

Chat Blanc.

The nightmare that haunted her dreams.

Her precious kitty. Her wonderful, playful, full of hope partner who never let her down, who always believed in her and had done so from the very beginning, before she could begin to believe in herself.

The fact that the nightmare was waiting, if she ever told Chat Noir who she was.

Her distance following that, she was losing him too, she had to. If she wanted him to remain Chat Noir, she couldn’t let him get close. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Her comfort was worth him.

“I just- “

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t get the words out.

How could she?

How could she possibly tell Chat everything that had happened?!

Everything that could happen.

Chat held her close, he was carrying her at this point. She was too weak to stand.

All he did was hold on tighter. Not giving and inch.

His voice was heart-breaking for her, to hear so much pain from her Chaton.

“It breaks my heart M’lady, to see you so close to shattering, and not know how to fix it or even if I can”

He couldn’t.

Chat couldn’t fix her; he couldn’t stop her from breaking.

And she didn’t want to take him with her when she did.

“You can’t Chat, this isn’t something that you can just fix” She looked into his eyes with her usual determination.

“It’s okay, I’ll be strong”

She had to be. She had to be strong for him. For everyone.

Chat pulls her closer into his chest, his heart was beating so loudly.

“No, my lady. It’s time that you let me be strong, strong enough for you”

Ladybug froze. How could she accept this? How could she place her burdens on him? She knew from their history that he would focus on her if she told him, and she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t take advantage of his kindness like that.

“Chat… I’ll be fine”

She had to be, for both their sakes.

Chat growled, it took her back to hear such a sound from her Chaton, it didn’t sound right coming from him, but at the same time… it did?

“Chat?”

Chat looked at her, his eyes weren’t sad anymore, they were on fire, they were blazing. He wasn’t going to let her go this time.

“M’lady, you hold the world on your shoulders, but you’re not alone, please. Let me hold some of the weight”

Chat was pleading, begging.

“Please, let me in and let me help”

Ladybug slumped in his arms. Hearing him plead like that, she wanted to stop her Chaton’s pain, but the way she could would only add more.

“Chat… if I tell you. If you know, it’s only going to add to your troubles. My problems aren’t worth it Chaton”

They weren’t. Her problems weren’t worth the added pain that would come to him. He didn’t deserve that grief.

“I promise you M’lady, nothing could not be worth it”

She just couldn’t believe that.

“M’lady. My existence as the black cat is to protect you. To defend you in battle and to care for you outside of it. It’s the very purpose of my miraculous. Let me help you”

She had never thought of that.

Tikki had told her a little of the history of some of her past Ladybugs. Each ladybug had something different about them, but they always had a Back Cat next to them, regardless of country, gender or age, there would always be a Ladybug and Chat Noir.

And those Chat Noir’s, some of Tikki’s stories had scared her, the Black Cat’s who had dies to save their ladybug’s, the Cats who had lived past them, only to follow their partners in death.

And the Cats who had killed for their Ladybugs.

Tikki had told her how some had slaughtered villages and cities of people who dared harm their beloveds. How regardless of rank or status, they would bring about their justice to all those who hurt their partners.

But could she make her Chat do that? Did she even have the right, when the knowledge she had would cause him harm?

Chat pleaded one last time, “Please M’lady, please let me be strong enough for you”

Oh.

All Chat had ever wanted was for them to be equals. For them to be two halves of a whole.

For them to be there for each other.

Oh Chat.

Ladybug smiled in his arms, tears welling up and falling down.

How could she continue to deny him?

He was always there for her, the way she was for him.

He supported her in battle, and likewise she supported him.

He had unloaded his own emotions on her. It was time… that she did the same.

Chat had always strong enough for her.

Now was the time for him to know it.

Now was the time, for them to be whole.

Together.

The Ladybug of Creation, and the Black Cat of Destruction.

And just maybe…

Maybe as Marinette and someone else too.


End file.
